Mo model



No. 750,694. PATPNTPDJAN. 26, 1904. T. PRATT. APPARATUS FOR MERGERIZING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

- H g LW WW4 H No. 750,694. PATENTED JAN. 26, 1904.

T. PRATT.

APPARATUS FOR MERGERIZING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1903.

NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TNE mums vans co. PNOYO-UTHQ, msmmmw. D r,

UNITED STATES Patented January 26, 1904.

TOM PRATT, OF SHIPLEY, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR MERCERIZING- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 750,694, dated January 26, 1904.

Application filed March 21, 1903.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TOM PRATT, engineer, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 28 Vestgate, Shipley, in the county of York, England, have invented new and useful improvements in apparatus for mercerizing cotton yarns in hank form, applicable also for dyeing, bleaching, drying, and otherwise treating such yarn or yarns or other fibrous material by analogous processes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for mercerizing cotton yarns in hank (chiefly) or other form, and is also applicable for dyeing, bleaching, drying, and otherwise treating such yarn or yarns or other fibrous material by analogous processes, the object of the invention being to provide a simple, strong, and durable apparatus whereby, especially during mercerizing, the hanks may be subjected to variable and adjustable tension and whereby they may also be treated both during mercerizing, dyeing, bleaching, or the like to the various liquors or agents necessary to the proper carrying out of any of the processes and finally dried or partially dried before removing the hanks or yarn or other form from the machine.

A further object in the mechanical construction of the machine is to avoid the very grave defects in construction which have been found to exist in other machines and which render in many cases the carrying out of the mercerizing process somewhat expensive and laborious.

My invention consists, essentially, in the employment of a reel to carry the hanks or yarn in other form, the longitudinal bars of which may be stationary or intermittently or continuously rotated, means for rotating such bars, the employment of screw-operated or rack-operated cones or sliding wedges, and springs capable of moving the longitudinal bars of the reel inward or outward, so as to vary the tension of the yarn being treated, means for inclosing the reel and internal parts of the apparatus hermetically during a portion or the whole of any process the hanks may be required to be subjected to, means for adjusting the inclosing medium with relation Serial No. 149,002. (No model.)

to the reel, and means for controlling the inlet to the inclosing chamber and the outlet therefrom of any liquid or fluid which may reference to the accompanying drawings,

which indicate a machine adapted to carry out any or the whole of the processes referred to, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, a plan, partly in section, with the top portion of the inclosing cover removed; Fig. 3, an elevation of the driving end of the machine; Fig. 4, an end elevation in section looking toward the driving-gear; Fig. 5. an end elevation of gearing for rotating the reel-bars, and Fig. 6 an end elevation showing the means adopted for doffing the hanks or yarn from the reel.

In carrying out my invention I provide a suitable framework a, capable of supporting a longitudinal shaft 6 for driving the various parts of the mechanism. The shaft is arranged in bearings 0 and may be driven in any suitable manner. The means I at present adopt consist of a shaft (Z, provided with fast and loose pulleys (Z and having slidable thereon a clutch cZ, capable of being engaged either with the loosely-mounted pinion e or with a similarly-arranged wheel 6, both of which are provided with clutch-faces. The pinion e is in gear with a wheel 0, fixed on the shaft 6, while the wheel 0 is in gear with a wheel 6', also fixed on the shaft b. On the boss of wheel 6 is mounted awheel b, gearing with a compound wheel I), mounted loosely on a stud 6, the second wheel o gearing into a wheel 6 on a sleeve f, loosely surrounding the shaft 6 and having at its other end a wheel f, gearing with carrier-pinions f, mounted on studs g, fixed in a disk g, keyed to the shaft t. Pinions f are in gear with other pinions g, fixed on the ends of rods 7a, forming part of the reel, and are kept in gear as the diameter of the reel is increased or decreased by links 7L, mounted on the studs g and rods IL. The clutch c may be engaged with its counterpart on the pinion e or the round the center wheel f, imparting the motion obtained to the pinions g and rods IL.

Vhen the clutch is in gear with wheel a, the center wheel f is rotated at a difierential speed through the agency of wheels 6, Z), Z), and 6, the four latter wheels having diflerent numbers of teeth to form a diflerential drive for the rods h and complete reel. is the strap-fork operated by rod j and handle The shaft Z) is preferably made hollow, and in its interior is placed a second shaft k, provided with screw-threads k, which can be operated by means of a hand-wheel Z: or the like. Surrounding the shaft 6 is a reel or reels provided with any suitable number of rods or bars Z, arranged parallel thereto to support the yarn while being treated. These rods have projecting from them toward the center of the reel each two or more arms Z, the inner ends of which are provided with antifriction-bowls Z,rollers, or similar means, which rest upon cones m, conical prisms or wedge shaped pieces mounted upon the central shaft, the said cones or equivalent means being capable of being traversed along the shaft by means of the screw-threads A" and hand-wheel previously referred to. Dies an, attached to the cones, engage with the screws through slots m in the shaft 5. In being traversed in' one direction the cones force out the arms Z, carrying the bowls Z and the rods or bars Z, supported by the arms, thus providing means for varying the tension of yarn placed around the reel by increasing or decreasing the diameter of the latter. The cones may also be arranged to draw inwardly the parallel rods or bars, or I may employ springs or equivalent means for effecting the inward movement. I prefer, however, to employ a number of arms or brackets n, projecting from central bosses n, fixed to the shaft Z). These arms project into tubular bosses a, formed on the rods Z, and have flanged ends Z, between which and the ends of the bosses are placed springs 0. The arms n guide the rods Z in their inward and outward movement, while the springs 0 assist in the inward movement.

Although the surface or surfaces of the cones m, conical prisms, or wedge-shaped pieces may be of regular inclination, I prefer to make them with two faces at different angles, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, the first being at a greater angle to the horizontal than the second. Thus the yarn may be stretched rapidly at first and then more gradually as the tension upon it becomes greater. It should further be said that the reel bars or arms Zmay be moved to or from the central shaft by means of cones, conical prisms, or wedges, as aforesaid, acting on inclined bearings cast on or fixed to the parallel arms Z, as much friction as possible being eliminated by means of rollers or the like carried by the bearings. Vhichever arrangement is adopted, however, it should be understood that they are all the same in principle, the strain set up by the tension of the yarn, whether by the action of the treating liquid or fluid or by the mere movement of the cones, conical prisms, or inclined bearings, being always directed toward the center of the reel, and therefore neutralized without imparting any injurious strain on the mechanism, as is common in many mercerizing machines.

The parallel rods or bars Z are made sufliciently strong to withstand the strain set up in .the yarn by the caustic lye, and though these rods may come in direct contact with the yarn I preferably mount on the outer edge of each rod a rotatable rod or bar it, previously referred to, so that the yarn may be continuously or intermittently changed in position round the reel, and thus enable the treating liquors or fluids to penetrate evenly the fibers of which the yarn is composed. The rods may be rotated, as before described, or by being provided with a catch or catches on one end designed to come in contact with a projection or projections arranged in the interior of a vessel hereinafter referred to, or instead of catches and projections the pinions g may be mounted on the ends of the rods, engaging with teeth cast on or fixed to the bottom of the inclosing vessel, or, again, instead of either of the arrangements just referred to I may employ an arrangement of sprocket-wheels and chain driven by an adjustable driving-wheel operated from outside the vessel.

The reel may be surrounded by a suitable vessel 9, preferably circular in form and closely approximating internally to the greatest available outside diameter of the reel. This vessel is provided with a movable lid 11, hinged to the body of it at p" or otherwise arranged, so as to afford full facilities for charging or discharging any material which may have to be dealt with, the said lid being capable of closure, so as to hermetically seal the vessel during the time the whole or any part of a process is being carried out. The vessel is arranged to be raised or lowered while thelid is held open by a chain or rope q to suit any diameter of the reel and to bring the yarn on such into contact with the treating-liquors or out of contact, as may be desired, the arrangements at present employed being racks r, fixed to the vessel 3), and pinions on a shaft 1*, operated by hand-wheel s, lever, or the like through the agency of a worm s and worm-wheel s". The vessel is further provided with suitable valves for controlling the inlet or outlet of any liquid or fluid used for treating the yarn, and the liquid or fluid, including hot air or other mev Z), assisting in spreading the hanks.

dium, may either flow directly into the vessel or may be conducted into contact with the yarn through the central shaft, or both. In the case of the medium passing through the central shaft the latter is provided with a conduit communicating with a chamber formed between it and the hollow inclosing shaft, which latter is provided with perforations over its entire diameter and length. In this way the liquor or other medium can be forced outward from the center of the shaft into intimate contact with the hanks under treatment, and thereby evenly saturate or permeate the fibers. At present I prefer to introduce the liquid or fluid through a pipe t, provided with a suitable valve or valves, cocks, or the like and perforated at 6, so as to direct the treating medium onto the yarn in the direction of the arrow as the latter passes the pipe. Liquids may be discharged through a pipe it, provided with a suitable valve or cock.

In order to enable yarn to be placed on and dofi'ed from the reel, I employ the means shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 6, which are operative when the chamber p is lowered out of the way. On the shaft 5 is loosely mounted a disk 2', provided with flanges '0' to embrace a semicircular recess Q1, formed concentric with the shaft in the frame a. The disk is cut away at w, as shown in Fig. 6, to enable the yarn, especially in hank form, to be passed through it and looped over the shaft b. By turning the disk by means of handle w the cut-away portion is brought below the shaft and the rear end of the hank drawn through. It now surrounds the shaft and may be lifted onto the reel while the latter is at its least diameter, a conical disk :0, fixed on the shaft The latter may be removed by the reverse operation.

From the foregoing it willbe understood that cotton or other yarn in the form of hanks or reeled direct from cops or bobbins onto the arms Z (thus saving cost of hanking) may be treated to a complete mercerizing, dyeing, bleaching, ordinary stretching, or other necessary process, and that on the completion of either of such the yarn may be dried prior to its removal from the machine by rapidly rotating the reel, and thus removing moisture by centrifugal action. At the same time drying may be effected by directing, through the valves and pipe previously referred to, hot air or other suitable medium. Again, the machine may be driven in any suitable manner apart from that indicatedsuch as by a variable-speed cone, multiple gearing, friction-plates, or other suitable mechanical.

means, which can be arranged to give any required speed that may be necessary during either the caustic, acid, washing, dyeing, bleaching, drying, or like operation.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

1. A machine or apparatus for mercerizing cotton yarns, comprising a rotatable reel to carry the yarn, the longitudinal bars of which are capable of rotation, means for rotating said bars when required; cones capable of moving the longitudinal bars of the reel inward or outward so as to vary the tension on the yarn being treated; means for inclosing the reel and internal parts of the apparatus hermetically; means for adjusting the inclosing medium with relation to the reel; and means for controlling the inlet to the inclosing chamber and the outlet therefrom of any liquid or fluid substantially as described.

2. In a machine for the purposes referred to a yarn-carrying reel comprising a central tubular shaft on which is mounted bosses provided with radial arms engaging with tubular bosses formed on the reel-bars for guiding and controlling the latter; sliding cones engaging with inwardly-projecting arms carrying rollers and operated by a screw to increase the diameter of the reel; rotatable bars carried by the reel-bars and spur-gear mechanism for operating said reel and bars substantially as described.

3. In a machine for the purposes referred to the combination with a yarn-carrying reel of yarn changing and dofling mechanism com: prising a rotatable disk with a portion cut away and resting in a semicircular bearing, together with a conical distendingplate mounted on the reel-shaft substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

TOM PRATT.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM W. TAYLOR, JAs. STEWART BROADFOOT. 

